THE CHURCH ON PURPOSE
Genesis 11:1-9
INTRODUCTION:
A. For the past several years we have had a yearly theme for the overall ministry of the church
1. 2002 - Aim Higher
a. 2001 - Harvest
b. 2000 - Whoever is thirsty, let him come.
c. Others:
What Would Jesus Do?
Higher and Higher
2. Last year our theme was Transformed
a. As we look over last year we can see how God has blessed us and transformed the lives of many of those in our church family
b. Our focus on youth ministry was changed as we hired Jon and Marlene Wachtel to work with our young people and young families
They have been a real blessing to me
c. Jon and I were sitting around a few weeks ago discussing how good it is to see and hear people talk about how God has changed their lives
How He has been there for them in some difficult times
How He has turned their world upside down for the better.
d. 19 people made commitments to Christ and to the ministry of this church last year and we hope that God will bring us many more this year
B. For 2004 our theme is going to be On Purpose
1. I was thinking about an often used phrase this week: You did that on purpose!
a. Maybe you heard that when you "accidently" ripped off the head of your sister’s Barbie Doll
b. Maybe you heard that when you knocked down your brother’s monument made of cards
2. I want us to put that phrase in a more positive light
a. One year from now when we look back at 2004 I want us to be able to say that we did some things On Purpose
3. Instead of simply sitting back and letting things happen (or not happen) I believe that we should be God’s Church On Purpose
a. But are we up to the task?
b. Are we willing to pay the price in order to accomplish God’s will for this congregation on purpose
c. Philip. 3:13-14
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
C. Today’s message is an introduction to this the next 3 messages as we talk about being God’s Church On Purpose
1. I want to look to a passage that I have preached on before–but there are some valuable lessons to be learned
a. READ: Genesis 11:1-9
2. Verse 6 is the key verse in this passage
a. Genesis 11:6
The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
3. They are one people
a. They had unity among themselves
4. Spoke the same language
a. they wanted that tower at whatever the cost
5. They had a plan
a. They had dreamed a dream for this tower up into the heavens
6. To do
a. They didn’t simply come up with the idea, they were willing to do the work.
I>UNITY - one people
A. Unity does not mean that you have to agree on everything
ILL> Last year Kay and I had the opportunity to celebrate 20 years of marriage–now I know that a lot of you have been married a lot longer than that. Would you believe that in those 20 years of marriage that we’ve never had a disagreement?
1. Where people are involved you are never going to agree on everything
a. I don’t agree with every sermon that I hear and you probably don’t either
2. Unity in the church was so important to Jesus that He prayed specifically for that right before He was betrayed with a kiss
a. John 17:20-21
I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, [21] that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
3. When writing to the Ephesian church Paul said
a. Ephes. 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
B. We are blessed here when it comes to unity
1. We are not a perfect church by any means, but we are a church that gets along–we don’t have to deal with some of the issues that a few other churches have to deal with
2. If you’ve ever been part of a church that was full of discord and schisms than you can appreciate what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
C. God said that the people in Babylon were going to be successful in building their tower because they had learned to work together
II> SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE - speaking the same language
A. What is our purpose as God’s church?
1. What was Jesus’ purpose?
a. Jesus did a lot of things
Raised the dead (Jairus’ daughter, Lazaras)
Healed the sick
Performed miracles (water into wine)
b. Jesus’ purpose was stated even before He was born
c. Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
2. While we cannot save anyone, our purpose as God’s Church is to lead people to the One who can save them
a. Our responsibility is to evangelize the lost
3. Let me share a little secret with you–people who are winning others to Christ have very little trouble getting along
a. They don’t have time to get caught up in the scuttle that often divides us.
B. God said the people in Babylon were going to success because they were focused on a single purpose
III> VISIONARY PLANNING - nothing they plan
A. We need some dreamers
ILL> We had a guy hear one Sunday who shared with us that the US Navy was getting rid of some battle ships. He thought it would be a good idea to buy one so we could take food to different parts of the world that were starving.
We all thought he was kidding and laughed, but I think he was serious.
1. When the first guy said, "Hey, I think we ought to build a tower up to the heavens" I wonder if anybody laughed
ILL> On Friday a spacecraft called the Stardust flew through the debris field of a comet and collected some dust. It is scheduled to bring it’s findings back to earth in 2006.
ILL> Mars landing - Last night a spacecraft landed on the surface of Mars and another in 3 weeks. Each contains a rover that is suppose to explore Mars to see whether life ever existed there. It all started with someone’s vision.
QUOTE> "To me this moment in time is like a dream come true," said James Garvin, Mars Exploration Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
"Three years ago we began with little more than a vision, guided by science, and here we are doing it," Garvin told SPACE.com .
2. We need some dreamers
a. Proverbs 29:18
Where there is no vision, the people perish:
B. What dreams can you dream for this congregation?
1. We have a problem–we do not have a room that is able to hold more than about 18-20 young people
a. We’ve had as many as 25
b. That’s a good problem to have? What does God want us to do to handle more?
2. Our sanctuary and foyer are not very large
a. When we have more than 160 is starts to get close
b. Just as big a problem is the size of our foyer–too small and gets congested
c. That’s a good problem. What does God want us to do to handle that so we can reach more people for Him?
3. I believe that we think too small
a. There were some who did not believe we could raise $7500 for a van in such a short period of time–we are almost there
QUOTE> What the mind of man can conceive, and believe, it can achieve!
C. Our purpose is to lead people to Christ
1. How are we going to accomplish that as God’s Church?
a. How are you going to accomplish that in 2004?
D. God said the people in Babylon were going to be successful in building their tower because they had a plan
IV> HARD WORK - to do
ILL> Last year when Emmanuel said he needed 250 dozen cookies for a KAIROS weekend at the Marion Correction Institute, I volunteered you to help. Everybody pitched in and when we were a little short Freda and her crew got busy and we donated 250 dozen cookies.
The idea cookies. In order to accomplish it took a great deal of work.
A. The same is true in the church–While great things are accomplished through the power of God, He still wants us to dedicate ourselves to the work
ILL> A preacher visited a church and noticed they had published a manual on church growth. It wasn’t very thick, but it did get his attention. When he opened it up he read, "Get to work!"
B. Get involved
1. Matthew 9:37
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
ILL> We need to have the NIKE mentality toward doing God’s work.
Their slogan is ’Just do it!’ It invites people to take control of their lives; to break out of the dullness of the mundane and achieve. It’s a rallying cry to motivation and to action. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that in the correct context. The work ethic is good. For the Christian it’s a sound principle. The wise writer of Ecclesiastes warns of the folly of being over-cautious: ’Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap’ (11:4).
V> CONCLUSION:
A. God wants to bless your life–He wants to bless this congregation
1. Too many times we think too small
a. We carry a spoon when we need a shovel
ILL> Wilkinson shares an illustration I want to share with you. He said that so many times we go to the river of God with a little teacup and bend down to this massive river of God thinking this is our little cup of blessings and we just scoop up a little blessing. His encouragement is, "Why don’t you jump in?" It’s a neat concept. Man, I’ve been sitting on the riverbank forever with these little cups. If I had wisdom and knowledge, I’d go back and get a little bigger cup every time. I’m up to about a gallon jug now, scooping up water. Then when I read this illustration, I thought, "Why don’t I jump in?" Because it’s like someone said, "You need to find out where God is going then you need to go in that same direction." If there’s a river of God, get in there. Jump in. All right, get you clothes wet, just jump in. That’s what we are afraid to do-- get our spiritual clothes all wet.
B. You don’t have to know where the river is going.
1. Jump in and it will take you there
2. Ephes. 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
